Goa CM Pramod Sawant blames migrant labourers behind 90% of crimes

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that about 90 per cent of the crimes in the coastal state are committed by migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other areas, urging contractors to obtain "labour cards" before employing them.

Sawant made the claim at a Labour Day function on May 1 in Panaji.

The chief minister said that every migrant labourer working in the state should have a labour card given by the state government.

The Goa government issues labour cards to those working in the private, unorganised and industrial sectors to keep a record of employment as well as extend welfare measures to this category.

Sawant said that it is necessary to track the details of labourers as “after committing a crime in Goa, migrant labourers often return to their state and it becomes difficult to locate them”.

The chief minister said that “about 90 per cent of the crimes in Goa are committed by migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other areas”.

Sawant said that the state government has roped in two NGOs to ensure that all labourers are issued the cards. The chief minister announced that the facility to enrol the labourers for the card would be made online soon.

He said that once the cards are issued to all the labourers, it would be easier to access the database. “It will also help the police investigate the cases and track them,” Sawant added.